The Queen's Dilemma

Ch. 4: You again Part 2

Chief Flores was hot.

And looked like Vishnu.

But he's hot, her eyes pleaded.

Looks like Vishnu, her heart cried out.

But the shock of having to see Vishnu's 'twin' was nothing to finding out Charlie was Matt's daughter.

They looked nothing alike; maybe the teen had inherited more of her mom's looks (where was the Chief's wife?). If he was married, Rani wanted nothing to do with him, or the weird feelings she got when she was around him.

Plus, he seemed too young to have a kid that old.

Her fear of seeing him had gotten worse when she didn't see him. It was like a tsunami wave; the little ones were building up, crashing upon each other when she did run into him.

Like in the restaurant bearing his name.

"Is this your place?" Rani asked him.

She'd wanted to get takeout and settle for a good YouTube movie. Now, she found herself in a booth with the Chief and his sister.

Luckily, Lily Flores didn't look resemble her brother completely. They had matching hair, skin, and eyes, though she was tinier than her brother. Where his features were manly and sharp, her's had a feminine softness. Her hair was streak liberally with maroon highlights. She had the same amount of piercings as Charlie did, if more.

Lily grinned. "No, it's mine. But he's nice enough to help out."

Matt's eyes hadn't left Rani's face. She'd glance away every now and then, but when she returned them to his, she'd find them still watching her.

Her nerves were becoming undone. Every moment near him was infuriating, heart-wrenching and calming at the same time.

She couldn't understand herself.

"That's cool," she said, responding to Lily. "So sister, and daughter. Where's your wife? I'd love to meet her."

His eyes dropped suddenly, and she felt her stomach flop over painfully.

"My wife's gone," he said curtly.

Stupid, stupid. Couldn't shut your mouth when you could've? "I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"No, like she left when Charlie was born. She's not dead." His tone matched the acidic look in his eyes; if they could shoot bullets, the table would've melted by now.

The silence at the table was unbearable; despite the restaurant being full of people and loud, their table's lack of noise was painfully noticeable.

Matt suddenly got up, quickly said goodbye and left.

Rani looked at Lily with a worried glance. "I'm so sorry for asking that. I didn't mean to—"

Lily laughed nervously. "Don't worry about him. You didn't mean anything wrong with that question. It's something he's been struggling with for a while."

"Can I ask you something though?" she asked Rani.

"Sure."

"Why do you look so afraid when you're around him? I saw you run away at the accident; I was there, in his truck."

Rani sucked in a breath suddenly, choking on a salty chip. As she tried swallowing the offending piece, she drank water.

When she'd steadied herself, Rani said, "He looks like my ex. Like you wouldn't believe me, but they look like twins."

Despite herself, she pulled up a picture of Vishnu on her phone and showed Lily.

For a few seconds, Lily said nothing.